At ten o'clock the next morning.
In front of the dense vegetation near Squad Two's barracks, three figures stood beneath the blazing sun. They waited silently for a while, then moved into the shade of the trees, taking shelter beneath the tall trunks as they endured the heat.
"Damn it! They promised our squad leader would be here at ten!"
"It's already half past ten. Why isn't he here yet?"
"When he finally shows up, I'm going to beat him half to death~"
Patience was running thin. The speaker—a striking woman whose perfect figure was still visible even under her loose shihakushō—voiced her frustration.
"Calm down, Lilynette!"
"This isn't Hueco Mundo. Strength alone doesn't rule here. Until we've established ourselves, we have to endure patiently."
Beside her, a blonde woman whose special uniform covered her chin and face spoke coolly, trying to calm Lilynette down.
"I don't care! I don't care! And that ungrateful bastard Yūshirō—he dragged us out of Hueco Mundo and then completely ignored us! It's unforgivable!"
Lilynette was furious. For six years, ever since they had come to Soul Society with Shihōin Yūshirō, she had expected to roam freely, enjoy the sights, and taste new foods—just like they had done in Hueco Mundo. But reality was different. Szayelaporro was thriving, happily working with his friend Kisuke Urahara or heading out on exciting missions. Meanwhile, Lilynette and Harribel spent their days sweeping floors or trimming trees. What a miserable fate!
"Hahaha… I heard Yūshirō's been in school!"
"School, huh? What a wonderful thing~"
"Too bad my former self never got to experience it."
The third of the group—a towering man over two meters tall, his face hidden completely by a black mask—finally spoke up, his presence like a steel tower between them.
"Hey, Kuru, aren't you a captain? Can't you take us out to play?" Lilynette asked him.
"After years of investigation, I found out I was a former captain. Just last year I even found my own gravestone—it says I've been dead for decades! Ahahaha…"
The man called Kuru burst out laughing.
"There's nothing funny about seeing your own grave!" Lilynette shouted angrily. "Everyone around me is useless—it's driving me insane!"
"Sorry! Ahahaha…" Kuru bowed slightly, apologized, then went right back to laughing.
"You're going to laugh yourself to death someday…" Lilynette muttered, exasperated.
"Yo!"
At that moment, a familiar voice reached their ears.
The three turned at once.
"Yūshirō!"
"Yūshirō-sama!"
"Yūshirō, it's been ages—did you graduate?"
Lilynette, Harribel, and Kuru all greeted him together.
"Hahaha… just yesterday," Shihōin Yūshirō replied, nodding. With a grin, he pulled a graduation certificate from his robes and showed it off proudly.
"You bastard, Yūshirō! You tricked us into leaving Hueco Mundo, then ignored us for six whole years! Do you know what I've been through? Not a single promised feast, not one promised bit of fun!"
Lilynette leapt forward, her long legs wrapping around his waist as she locked her arms around his neck.
"I had my reasons, okay~" Yūshirō mumbled, his face buried in her chest so his words were barely audible.
"Yūshirō-sama… your shunpo is too fast, I couldn't keep up…"
A slightly disheveled girl, sweat dripping from her brow, finally arrived behind him—Bee Shōrei. But when she saw the scene in front of her, she froze.
"Wha—?! Who is this woman?! To do something like that in broad daylight—shameless!"
Her face flushed crimson as she stammered furiously at the sight of Yūshirō pinned in Lilynette's embrace.
"Who's this, Yūshirō? Your secret lover?" Lilynette asked slyly.
"Get down, I can't breathe! I really can't breathe!" Yūshirō pleaded, tapping her back frantically.
"Oh~"
With a graceful leap, Lilynette released him and in a flash appeared directly in front of Shōrei.
"Eh… what do you want?" Shōrei asked, suddenly wary.
"You're so small…" Lilynette bent slightly, eyes flicking down toward Shōrei's modest chest.
"Eh?!"
"Eh?!!"
"You shameless pervert! Lewd woman!"
Shōrei's face turned bright red as she stumbled back, arms instinctively covering herself.
"Hehehe…" Lilynette snickered.
"Lilynette!" Harribel, acting like a frustrated mother, grabbed Lilynette's cheeks and tugged them mercilessly.
"Ow ow ow… it hurts…" Lilynette whimpered, her face red and swollen.
"This must be youth!" Kuru mused cheerfully. "Though where did I spend mine…? Ah, I can't remember. Ahahaha!"
Amnesia hadn't dulled his endless self-amusement.
"Anyway, introductions are in order," Yūshirō interrupted, smiling. "From today, the five of us form Squad Two's special sub-unit: the Greenery Protection Squad. I'll serve as captain, and Shōrei will be vice-captain!"
"What?! I have to team up with these weirdos?!" Shōrei blurted out.
"And why am I not vice-captain?!" Lilynette demanded angrily.
"Because that role takes more than strength," Yūshirō replied firmly. "A captain only needs power—but a vice-captain must be meticulous, able to handle countless tasks. Among us, only Shōrei has that talent."
The truth was plain: aside from Shōrei, none of them had the patience or discipline for paperwork.
"Meticulous… paperwork…" Lilynette muttered, realizing she only knew how to play.
But Shōrei beamed, pleased by Yūshirō's recognition.
"So, let's give our all for Squad Two's greenery!" Yūshirō cheered, raising his fist.
The strange but powerful group—two Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, a former captain ranked among the strongest of the Gotei 13, a young but rising Shinigami, and Yūshirō himself—shouted together with earth-shaking force.
"Ohhh!!!"
Their voices startled even the covert Onmitsukidō operatives nearby.
"Excellent… but it's too hot today. Let's work another time, when the sun isn't so brutal," Yūshirō decided, wiping his forehead.
"Captain speaks the truth!" The others applauded.
"Wait—are we really not working today?" Shōrei asked, the only honest one among them.
"Not a problem at all!" Yūshirō reassured her, patting her shoulder before jogging off.
"So hot, so hot, I'm dying here…" he muttered, disappearing into the barracks.
The others followed leisurely, leaving Shōrei fuming.
"If Lady Yoruichi punishes us for this, don't say I didn't warn you!"
Later, inside the dojo Shihōin Yūshirō had commandeered with his noble family's authority, the five lay sprawled on the polished wood floor, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
"Are we really allowed to be this lazy?" Shōrei muttered, still worried.
"Relax, it's fine~" Yūshirō said, patting her shoulder again. Then he added, "By the way, how's your hakuda training going?"
"Not well," she admitted. "With graduation, I haven't had time to practice."
"In that case," Yūshirō nodded, "let's make up for it now."
Shōrei perked up immediately. "Here? Against you?"
"Not me," Yūshirō chuckled. "Kuru, would you spar with her?"
Kuru looked up from his Earth-world magazine, reluctant. "Me? I've never trained anyone. And this little girl—if she gets hurt against me, that's bad."
"Please," Yūshirō urged.
Kuru hesitated.
"Don't underestimate me!" Shōrei snapped. "I'm strong!"
"You hear that? She's strong," Yūshirō said, amused.
"…Fine, but on one condition. No Zanpakutō release," Kuru said gravely.
"Of course," Shōrei agreed, already taking a stance.
"Alright then, come at me, little one," Kuru said, a faint killing intent flickering as he crooked a finger.
"Don't underestimate me!" she shouted, appearing before him in a flash, her kick aimed straight at his head.
Kuru didn't move.
Bang!
The impact hurled Shōrei back dozens of meters. Her ankle throbbed painfully, faintly swollen.
"Reiatsu?!" she gasped.
"If you can't even pierce the reiatsu on my skin, you'd best give up," Kuru said calmly. "I can't train someone who can't hurt me at all."
"…Tch. Yūshirō-sama, may I use that?" Shōrei asked, defiant.
Yūshirō met her stubborn gaze and nodded. "Approved."
"Shun'ō!"
In an instant, Shōrei's body erupted with astonishing spiritual pressure. The dojo floor cracked beneath her feet as her power surged.
Kuru's eyes widened in shock. "What is this?! Incredible… This era's techniques are no longer something reiatsu alone can measure."